Concrete retaining wall



Jan. 7, 1947. E EASTERDAY 2,413,867

CONCRETE RETAINING WALL Filed Dec. 2, 1944 Patented Jan. 7, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONCRETERETAINING WALL Elton E. Easter-day, St. Louis, Mo.

Appiicaition December 2, 1944, Serial No. 566,275

11 Claims.

This invention relates to concrete retaining walls, particularly hollow, multiple arch, retaining walls, The invention has for its Principal object to devise a retaining wall of the above type that will offer the greatest resistance to over turning and bending movements with the least amount of material; that will provide for proper drainage; that will facilitate inspection and repair of the wall; that will require a minimum amount of reinforcing material; and that will decrease I the cost for forms and for depositing the corn cretei The invention consists in the hollow, multiple arch, concrete retaining wall and in the arrangements and combinations of parts herein after described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like syrnbols refer to like parts Wherever they occur,

Fig. l is a plan View of a portion of a hollow, multiple arch, concrete retaining wall embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional View on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3, 4 and are fragmentary horizontal cross-sections on the lines 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, in Fig. 2,

My hollow retaining wall comprises an elongated base or bottom slab A, spaced multiple arch side walls B, cross walls or piers C extending from side wall to side wall and a cover slab D seated on the flush upper ends of said side and cross walls, all of reinforced concrete. The bottom slab A has depending side marginal ribs I that are embedded in the supporting earth 2 for said slab and serve to prevent crosswise sliding thereof. The cross walls or piers C taper in width from their lower to their upper ends and are braced by a plurality of longitudinal reinforced concrete struts 3; and doorways 4 are formed in said cross walls to permit passage therethrough below said struts.

The side walls B converge upwardly in conformity with the upwardly tapering cross walls or piers C; and each of said side walls comprises a series of reinforced concrete segmental arches 5 that span from cross wall to cross wall and are disposed with their convex surfaces facing outwardly. lThe arches 5 are of uniform radius, rise and span and are poured after the base A and piers C are formed, grooves 6 being left inthe tudinal gutter is formed therein; and a series of longitudinally spaced weep holes H extend therefor in the upwardly converging side edges of the piers C, said grooves forming abutment ribs 8 between adjacent arches. The grooves 6 and I downwardly through said base A between the two side walls C and communicate with suitable drain tiles 22 located in trenches provided therefor in the supporting earth Z for said base. The outermost side Wall has weep holes is extending horizontal-ly therethrough near the bottom thereof; and these weep holes open into a tile drain it extending longitudinally of the base.

As shown in the drawing, the above retaining wall constitutes the side wall of a pure water reservoir which is provided with a concrete roof l5, which rests upon the cover member slab Q for said wall, and a concrete bottom slab is, which rests on the base A of said wall. An earth fill ll forms an embankment and a cover for the reservoir.

The hereinbefore described retaining wall has numerous important advantages. It is simple and economical and well adapted to resist bending and overturning moments; and it is suitable for construction on soils with low bearing value and is especially applicable for pure water reservoirs where it acts as a dry well to prevent polluted ground water from entering the reservoir through any voids in the wall when the water in the reservoir is below the water table on the outside thereof. The weep holes and drains in the hollow wall serve to carry ofi seepage water and any Water that leaks into the wall from the reservoir; and they also prevent the wall from heaving. The doorways in the piers permit access to be had to the interior of the hollow wall for inspection and repair thereof. The arches are under direct compression and thus tend to prevent leakage therethrough and through the joints between the arches and the piers. Longitudinal expansion or contraction of the wall is accommodated by the flexing of the relatively thin arches.

Standard type forms may be used for the base, piers and struts; and the forms for the'arches may be made in small sections which can be used any place in the arches from top to bottom of the wall clue to the uniform radius, span and rise of the arches. The inside forms for the arches are in direct compression and the outside walls are in direct tension and both walls may be supported in place by anchor bolts cast in the piers, thus making it unnecessary to connect the inside and outside walls of the forms by means of tie rods passing through the arches. The inside wall of the arch forms can be built from bottom to top, and the reinforcing steel placed before the outside walls of the form are erected, or both walls of the arch forms and the reinforcing steel may be placed as fast as the concrete is poured. For convenience in construction, the arches may be omitted from between two or more adjacent piers for hauling earth from the inside of the reservoir to the embankment on the outside thereof.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described retaining wall admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A reservoir having a hollow cellular concrete wall comprising an elongated base, spaced inner and outer side walls supported on and extending longitudinally of said base, and cross walls supported on said base and extending from side wall to side wall, each of said side walls comprising arches that span the spaces between adjacent cross Walls and have their convex surfaces disposed outwardly.

2. A reservoir having a hollow cellular concrete wall comprising an elongated base, spaced inner and outer side walls, spaced cross walls extending from side wall to side wall, and a cover slab seated on the upper ends of said side and cross walls each of said side walls comprising arches that span from cross wall to cross wall at the outer side edges thereof and are disposed with their convex surfaces facing outwardly.

3. A reservoir having a hollow cellular concrete wall comprising an elongated base, spaced inner and outer side walls supported on and extending longitudinally of said base, and spaced cross walls supported on said base and extending from side wall to side wall, said side walls com-- prising arches that span the spaces between adjacent side walls and have their convex surfaces facing outwardly, said arches including upwardly and inwardly from the bottom of, said side walls to the tops thereof, each of said arches being of substantially uniform thickness from top to bottom of said hollow cellular wall.

4. A reservoir having a hollow cellular concrete wall comprising an elongated base, upwardly converging inner and outer side walls, and spaced cross walls extending from side wall to side wall, each of said side walls comprising arches spanning from cross wall to cross wall with their convex surfaces facing outwardly.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said arches is of substantially uniform thickness from top to bottom of aid hollow cellular wall.

' 6. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein said arches are segmental arches of substantially uniform thickness from top to bottom of Sa d hollow cellular wall.

7. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein said arches are of substantially uniform thickness from top to bottom of said hollow wall and a cover slab seats on the tops of said cross walls and the arches springing therefrom.

8. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein the cross walls are braced with longitudinal struts extending therebetween.

9. The combination set forth inclaim, wherein doorways are provided in said cross walls to provide a passageway for entrance to said hollow wall, and said cross walls are braced with longitudinal struts extending therebetween above said doorways.

10. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein the cross walls are braced with longitudinal struts extending therebetween, doorways are provided in said cross walls beneath said struts to provide a passageway for entrance to said hollow wall, said hollow wall has weep openings through the lower portion thereof, and drain tile extend longitudinally of said hollow wall adjacent to said weep holes. 1 i

11. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said arches is of substantially uniform thickness from top to bottom of said hollow cellular wall, the cross walls are braced with longitudinal struts extending therebetween, doorways are provided in said cross walls below said struts to provide a passageway for entrance to said hollow wall, said hollow wall has weep openings through the lower portion thereof and drain tile extending longitudinally of said hollow wall adjacent to said weep holes, and a cover slab seats on the upper ends of said cross walls and the.

arches springing therefrom.

. ELTON E. EASTERDAY. 

